Homefront: Multiplayer Review

I finally got the chance to dig into the multiplayer component of Homefront.  It has been a busy couple of weeks for me trying to play through Assassin's Creed 2 and Batman: Arkham Asylum in my spare time (these ain't no 5 hour campaigns!), but I finally managed to sit down to several stable rounds of multiplayer mayhem.  The games that I have played so far have been limited specifically to the non battle commander regulated ground control that plays much like Call of Duty's domination and even more like Battlefield Bad Company's conquest mode.  With that said, I will be focusing mostly on elements that are prevalent through all game modes.

Control/Visuals

The biggest relief about Homefront's multiplayer is that the control scheme seems tighter than in the single player campaign.  The on screen animations are still pretty rough for a current gen FPS title when compared to its immediate competition, but those issues are minor.  The texture rendering is still fairly grainy regardless of what resolution setting the game is played in, and this makes for some frustrating aiming issues sometimes.  As for character models, players are placed on either the U.S. Marines team, or on the Korean Private Army.  Each team has about 4 unique skins that are applied based on what armory class is selected before each spawn.  By now these skin types are becoming standard fare across the genre, but they serve their purpose in providing a little bit of variety.  The only apparent issue with the character skins was that the KPA  character uniforms are burgundy and beige, and they stick out of the scenery more than the American Marine uniforms.  Aside from being fairly dated, the visuals are passable.  The control scheme is also generic when it comes to FPS titles, but this isn't really a bad thing. 

Ranking System/Battle Points

Homefront employs a familiar ranking or leveling system that unlocks new weapons, accessories, abilities, and weapon loadouts.  For the most part, leveling goes fairly quickly and it was possible to unlock suitable kit loadouts within an hour of normal gameplay.  Just as with other similar titles, leveling is achieved through the collection of battlepoints and XP during regular matches.  In an effort to collect some of the profits that would be lost through used game sales, THQ requires that players input a profile exclusive "battle code" that comes with new copies of the game or that can be purchased through XBox live and Playstation Network.  Without the code, it is impossible to rank past level 5, and all weapons besides those available at the outset will remain locked.

The main difference with how Homefront plays from other FPS titles is with the in match reward system.  For every kill or objective completed, players are rewarded with battle points.  These points can be used to activate a number of extras that can level the playing field or tip the scales in one team's favor completely.  Points can be redeemed to purchase vehicles, extra armor, air support, UAV scans and so on.  The system is very similar to Medal of Honor's point system, but points rely less on how many consecutive kills players rack up between deaths, and more on how efficiently players earn kills or capture objectives.  For the most point, the point system is the component that sticks out most from other titles. 

Weapons/Perks

This section is most directly comparable to games in the COD franchise in that weapons have to be used to unlock accessories for them.  Red dot, holographic and ACOG scopes are only unlocked after a specific number of kills are made with each weapon for example.  How these weapons perform is influenced by the game's perk system.  Perks, however, are far more abundant than in other titles, and they are equipped in a much different way.  Each player has a certain number of what could be called "perk points" that depends on his or her rank.  When a perk is unlocked, it has a numerical value associated with it ranging from 1 to 3 perk points.  As a player gains ranks, more points become available making it possible to equip more active perks.  This is similar to the kill streak system in Modern Warfare 2 in that if a perk is removed, points become available again.  You aren't really spending points, but rather you are managing slot availability.  Though it might seem like this mechanic would give more seasoned players an unfair advantage, the system actually works very well due to the fact that, unlike other titles, the influence of the perks in Homefront doesn't make a huge impact.  Skilled players will always have the advantage against reckless or amateur gamers in Homefront.  None of the weapons or perks had a cheap feel to them and each weapon seemed balanced.  More powerful weapons were regulated by higher recoil, and weapons with higher firing rates had lower accuracy.   

Overall Impressions

Some reviews have called Homefront a cross between COD and Battlefield Bad Company 2, but the game truly plays more like a cross between Medal of Honor and Battlefield Bad Company 2 which are both DICE titles with similar mechanics.  Matches feel relatively balanced, and an emphasis on teamwork is clearly apparent in objective based game modes.  The game maps are large, but not as large as those found in Battlefield, yet they still offer plenty of room for vehicular and infantry combat.  Though there isn't much innovation to be found with this title, it succeeds in being a viable alternative for those who find that the Black Ops and Bad Company scenes have grown a bit stale.  In this regard, this title deserves at least an 7 out of 10 for overall gameplay and presentation.  If subsequent installments of the title should be released, concessions must be made on the subject of improved visuals, but Homefront makes for a suitable diversion for now.  Whether or not the game will hold up against the future release of heavy hitting titles like Battlefield 3 or the unnamed future installment of Call of Duty this coming Fall has yet to be seen.  However, this game is enjoyable and it should be played for what it is.  Homefront is an alternative, but its not really direct competition for bigger titles.  It would be nice to see some downloadable maps in the near future like DICE has offered as well.  During a 2 hour session, I played through 4 multiplayer maps repeatedly.  I'm not sure if there are more or not, but a little more variety would be nice.

Score: 7 out of 10 (Good, but not Great)

*UPDATE - It may be fair to say that although I rated this game a 7 out of 10, it has dominated my online multiplayer activity since I started playing and that is saying something.  So far, it has beaten other games such as Crysis 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops, and Battlefield Bad Company 2: Vietnam for my attention.  As a result, I would have to say that the playability factor really overrules any of the game's shortcomings.  Homefront is a very balanced game, and I have yet to experience any exploitive behavior from other players on the Xbox 360 version.  Vehicles still tend to bend the favor of matches from time to time, but most failures are a result of poor teamwork rather than unbalanced weapon rewards. 

Homefront, while flawed is a satisfying experience in many regards.  The different classes are weighted in a thought out way so that no loadout seems cheap.  There are still weapons that provide a slight advantage to unexperienced players, but a skilled veteran can dominate with any loadout.  Another great thing about this game is that while other players are busy playing Black Ops, the servers are relatively clear, and mid-match dumping is quite rare.  Most matches that load completely go off without a hitch, though some lag is to be expected.  However, lag here and lag in games like COD are very different things. 

With these things in mind, would like to note that although I won't change my rating of this title due to the fact that the weaknesses I mentioned earlier could have been remedied by a longer development schedule.  However, it is fair to note that Homefront is a worthy shooter that deserves respect in the multiplayer arena.  For those who don't like this game, thank you for the extra server space!